Active clinical trials for "Heart Arrest"

STUDY OBJECTIVES The overall goal of this study is to compare bystander fatigue and CPR quality after 5 minutes of continuous chest compressions versus the 2005 30:2 chest compression to ventilation Resuscitation Guidelines, in a population aged 55 or greater. More specifically, the investigators will compare each CPR ratio with regard to: The achieved frequency and depth of chest compressions, and Participant rating of their perceived level of exertion. STUDY HYPOTHESIS In a population aged 55 or greater, the new CPR recommendations will lead to: less frequent and shallower chest compressions over the 5-minute study period; and higher rating of perceived level of exertion when compared to the 2005 30:2 CPR ratio.

The prognosis of cardiac arrest patients is generally poor. Recent studies have showed that the high quality of CPR increases the survival after cardiac arrest. Therefore the investigators planned this prospective observational study to determine the epidemiology of sudden cardiac arrest in the prehospital setting of Tampere area, the quality of the CPR, and also the associations between depth and frequency of chest compressions and invasive arterial pressure, EtCO2,cerebral oxygenation and iatrogenic injuries associated to chest compressions 1) in patients resuscitated out of hospital by emergency medical service's (EMS's) personals and 2) in-hospital by hospital resuscitation team members. In addition, the investigators will analyze the effects of the chosen method of resuscitation on critical vital signs (Etco2 and invasive pressures): closed-chest CPR is compared to open-chest CPR, or mechanical CPR with a device (AutoPulse-CPR, Cardio Pump) compared to manual CPR guided with quality CPR device. The results will give the investigators important insights into the haemodynamics of CPR which may guide future strategies for the management of cardiac arrest. The research group is also interested in CPR related injuries and mattress effect. Quality of life after CA is evaluated among survivals and the cause of death among non-survivors.

Therapeutic hypothermia has been shown to improve survival and neurologic outcome in patients resuscitated after ventricular fibrillation arrest. Few studies have examined whether therapeutic hypothermia is effective outside the research setting, or with other presenting rhythms. Our institution, a large community teaching hospital, instituted a therapeutic hypothermia protocol in November 2006 for all resuscitated cardiac arrest patients. The investigators seek to determine the mortality rate of our protocol and compare our complication rates with those of previously published studies.

To provide the infrastructure to answer prehospital research questions posed by scientists at academic health science centers and policy makers at multiple levels of government.

To determine whether the dietary intake of trans-fatty acids derived from partially hydrogenated unsaturated fatty acids measured through a biomarker are directly associated with the risk of primary cardiac arrest.

In Kuopio University Hospital Department of Clinical Neurophysiology there have been designed a fast EEG electrode, that is suitable for acute emergency use. This study will address the clinical use of acute EEG with this fast EEG electrode in in- hospital patients who have been resuscitated due to cardiac arest. After resuscitation patients will be treated in ICU and EEG will be recorded for 24 hours.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a leading cause of sudden death in Europe and the United States. Mortality is currently close to 40% among those patients who had been successfully resuscitated after OHCA associated with ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia . Coronary artery disease is observed in up to 70% of patients with OHCA and immediate coronary angiography . Current European and American guidelines recommend immediate coronary angiography with primary angioplasty in OHCA patients with ST-segment elevation on ECG after successful resuscitation . Furthermore, the identification of the culprit lesion by coronary angiography among patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and no OHCA is challenging. In a recent cardiac magnetic resonance study, Heitner et al. found that in almost half of the patients with non-ST segment elevation ACS, the culprit lesion was not properly detected or identified by coronary angiography. In the Coronary Angiography after cardiac arrest (COACT) trial, a randomized controlled trial comparing immediate versus delayed coronary angiography after OHCA in patients without ST segment elevation on ECG, some degree of coronary artery disease was found in 64.5% of the patients in the immediate angiography group and an unstable coronary lesion was identified in only 13.6% of the patients. However, in survivors of OHCA without ST segment elevation on ECG, the use of intra coronary optical computerized tomography (OCT) led to identification of plaque rupture (27%), plaque erosion (36%) and coronary thrombosis (59%) undetected on angiography. There is hence a clear need to improve causality diagnosis among patients resuscitated after OHCA and without ST segment elevation on ECG, and, in the case of coronary artery disease detection, to better identify the culprit vessel/lesion ultimately leading to a targeted treatment. These are the reasons why we have designed a prospective, multi-centre, single cohort, diagnostic accuracy study: to better explore the incidence of a true ACS among OHCA survivors and to evaluate the accuracy of angiography to detect the culprit lesion when compared to OCT.

The central purpose of this study is to compare the clinical outcomes of patients who suffered a cardiac arrest while hospitalized at the VA and were resuscitated after biphasic defibrillators were implemented in 2001 to clinical outcomes of patients who suffered cardiac arrest before 2001.

During the Multidisciplinary Obstetric and Midwifery Simulation (MOMS) course, groups of delegates manage simulated clinical emergencies, whilst the remaining delegates observe the scenario via a video link. The delegates observing the cardiac arrest scenario will be asked to refer to the proforma and record those details of events that they are able to see/hear from the video link. In addition, the proforma will be provided to the team taking part in the simulation. Delegates (observers plus scribes) will then be asked to complete a questionnaire seeking their opinions on the usefulness of the proforma.

This single-center study will validate serum, imaging and clinical markers to determine outcome of pediatric patients early after Out-of-Hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Results are expected to add to the field of postresuscitation care of these children. The validation of markers will provide clinicians with the tools to assess the severity of neurological impairment after hypoxic injury to the brain early after OHCA.